'Scorched' MH370 debris found in Mozambique suggest plane may have caught fire in mid-air

Wreckage believed to be from the missing MH370 aircraft has been found in Madagascar and appears to contain “scorched black” marks which suggest a sudden fire may have brought down the plane.

The pieces of debris, which resemble panelling that sits under the cockpit floor of a Boeing 777, have been handed to the Australian authority overseeing the search.

Analysts believe the items – if their origin is confirmed – could indicate that a sudden on-board fire destroyed the plane’s systems and left the pilots struggling to control the aircraft. But the burn marks could also have occurred when the plane hit the ocean.

Joao de Abreu, president of the Mozambique Civil Aviation Authority, shows one of three pieces of debris thought to have come from missing flight MH370Credit:
Antonio Silva/EPA

The pieces were found by three locals from Sainte Luce, a coastal town in south-east Madagascar.

Blaine Gibson, a Seattle lawyer who has enlisted the help of locals in his personal quest to find debris across the region, delivered the items to authorities in Australia.

He said the burnt pieces appeared to be from the cargo hold, or the avionics bay, rather than from the main cabin.

"There are two [pieces] that have burned and singe marks on them,” he told ABC News.

“If those are found to be from MH370 and if it is discovered that the fire took place before the crash, then this is a real game changer that could help identify what was the cause of the planes demise."

The burnt pieces appeared to be from the cargo hold, or the avionics bay, rather than from the main cabinCredit:
Antonio Silva/EPA

The Malaysia Airlines aircraft disappeared in March 2014 during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The plane was carrying 239 passengers and crew.

An underwater search, due to be completed in December, has completed more than 91 per cent of a targeted 46,000 square mile zone off the west coast of Australia.

Mozambique authorities believe the three pieces of plane debris may have come from missing flight MH370Credit:
Antonio Silva/EPA

Families of several passengers from China, Malaysia and Indonesia have been visiting Australia and met with officials from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the search agency.

The families urged Malaysia, China and Australia, the nations co-ordinating the search, to continue the hunt beyond December and to incorporate drift modelling based on the location of the various debris that has been found.

"We hope that these three nations do more than just hope by fluke people find more debris," said Grace Nathan, a Malaysian whose mother Anne Daisy was aboard the aircraft.